The current decade has seen discussions on ludification and e-sports as well as the true breakthrough of terms such as gamification, signifying the pervasive and ubiquitous nature of games and play in contemporary societies.
The questions asked during the symposium hosted by ECREA Digital Games Research Section were, amongst others:
How does the multi-disciplinary field of game studies relate to the similarly multi-disciplinary field of communication studies? What kind of innovations are waiting around the corner when it comes to novel research methods or theorizing? What kind of phenomena are only beginning to receive attention, where are the remaining gaps in research?
Our research assistant Morten Heuser talks about his Master thesis ‘Cyborg Ethnography - Expanding the Borders of Virtual Worlds’ and his experience at the symposium. Morten explains, why an ethnographic study of virtual worlds matters and how Techno-Anthropology can add to current practices in games research.